Bed bottom



April 22, 1924. 1,491,445

DON CARLOS TRAVIS BED BOTTOM Filed April 28. 1920 Fatented Apr. 22, 1924.

NET

non CARLOS TRAVIS, or KENOSHA, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO stair/tons ooMPANxoF KENOSHA, WISCONSIN, A oo nrone'mon or DELAWARE.

BED BOTTOM.

Application filed April as, 1920. Serial No. 377,172.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DON CARLOS TRAvrs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kenosha, in the county of Kenosha and State of WVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bed Bottoms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in bed bottoms and has special reference to bed bottoms of the flat fabric type in which the fabric is connected to a surrounding frame and depressed below the surface of the fabric.

In the types of bed bottoms to which my invention particularly relates, the frame which supports the fabric is usually constructed of angle iron and the fabric is frequently, although no necessarily, of the wire link type. By reason'of the fact that the angle iron side rails of the bed bottom in such a construction are not depressed below the surface of the fabric, it is desirable to prevent the side edge of the fabric from sinking too far below the edge of the side rail when weight is imposed upon the bottom. Also, by reason of the fact that such constructions as I have described are usually built in the narrower widths, such as approximately three feet, rather than of the .full size, which is ordinarily four and a half feet in width, there is usually greater comfort if the central portion of the fabric is permitted to sag under the weight of the occupant more than the side strands of the fabric.

Hence, in practice, the side edges or strands of the fabric are preferably flexibly connected to the side rail of the frame, the arrangement being such that they are permitted to sag under the weight, but at the same time resiliently connected tothe side rail so that they will not sag more than the desired amount.

In the past, this result has been effected by helicals connecting the edge of the fabric at several spaced points along its length to the horizontal'flange of the angle iron. Incidentally, this was the construction adopted by the United States Government for abouttwo and a half million steel army cots, which were furnished by a large manufacturer of metal bedsteads over a period commencing in June, 1917, and terminating at thebeginning of the year-1919.

Ever since the said constructionhas gone into use, the manufactureror designer has been faced with the necessity of compromising between two diflicultiesz If the helical which connects the edge of the horizontal flange of the angle iron side rail is made too short, it will not possess resiliencyenough to stretch out to the desired extent within its elastic limit, which will result in permanent elongation or breakage under load, thus destroying the resilient connection between the edge of the fabric and the side rail. On the other hand, if the edge of the fabric is spaced from the side rail a suflicient distance to permit the interposition of a helical having length sufilcient to permit of the necessary stretch under load, without breakage or permanent elongation, it is found that'there is too .much space between the edge of the side rail and the edge of the fabric, allowing the bedding, to fall through by'reason of the insufliciency of support. V

The object of my inventionis to provide, in a type of bed bottom of. the class described, a construction which will permit of the utilization of helicals of sufficient length to permit the necessaryelongation without acquirin apermanent set or becoming fractured, while at the same time the edge of the fabric may be located close enough to the side rail to furnish the necessary support for the bedding. p

In the drawings, which show my invention as applied to the bed bottom of a metal cot Fig. 1 is an under-side plan view of a portion of the bottom; I

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of Fig; 1; and Fig; 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. I

Referring to the drawings, it will be observed that the fabric, in the present instance, is composed of a series of chains composed of connected links 10, the links being connected transversely by cross-links 11. The ends of the chains are secured through end helicals 12 to the horizontal flanges of end rails or cross-angles 13. The said cross-angles 13 form the ends of the rectangular frame,the other sides of which are formed by the angle iron side rails 14, said side rails 14 being united to the ends of the end members 13 in any desired manner,

for instance, by rivets 15} It will be observed that the edge strand or chain of the 16 of the side rail than a distance equal to the length of said horizontal flange 16.

I f the method of helical connection as shown 1 at 16 in the case of the end helicals were adopted, it would obviously be necessary to move the edge strand of the fabric much farther away from the inner edge of the side rail than is shown in the drawings. By means of *my improved construction, how ever, I am enabled to employ a helical of ample length to give the desired resiliency, while at the same timepermitting close spacing between the edge of the fabric and the edge of the side rail.

An important feature of my invention consists in connecting the outer ends of the side helicals 17 to the outer vertical flange of the angle iron instead of to the horizontal flange, as has heretofore been the practice. It will be understood that in a bed bottom of this type it is desirable to arrange the height of the top of the bed fabric so that it will correspond as closely as possible with the height of the top flange of the angle iron side rail. The problem, therefore is not one of simply hooking the outer end of the helical into a round hole punched in the bottom of the vertical flange, as in the end helical connection 16. It is desirable, in order-to get the best possible appearance and efficiency, to locate the helical 17 as close as possible to the upper or horizontal flange of the side rail. This lo cation of the side helical seems at first glance impossible, on account of the apparently insuperable difliculty of securing the end of the helical to the vertical flange when the helical is located in such position.

In order to enable the helical to be economically and efficiently connected to the vertical flange of the angle iron side rail in substantially the position above referred to, I punch in said flange 18 at the desired height, a pair of apertures 19 and 20, the aperture 19 being a small round aperture of sufficient diameter to admit the end 21 of the-hook 22 of the helical 17 while the aperture 20, although of the same width as the diameter of the hole 19, is made of suflicient length to permit of the bodily insertion of the hook 22. This enables the end 21 of the hook 22 to be readily slid longitudinally over the connecting metal 23 and hook into the aperture 19 as illustrated.

In addition to the advantages hereinbefore referred to, there will be noted the further advantage that the flange 16 overlies the greater part of the helicals 17, thereby preventing the hooked ends thereof from becoming tangled in the bedding; in addition to which there are no unsightl perforations in the exposed horizonta flange neonate 16,these being important advantages from the standpoint of salability in a bed bottom of this type.

The scope of the invention is defined in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention 1. In a bottom for beds and the like, the combination of an angle iron side rail having an outer depending vertical flange and an inner horizontal flange, a bed fabric having a substantially flat surface and having a side edge supported adjacent the inner edge of the horizontal flange, and a helical underlying said horizontal flange and connecting the vertical flange with the edge of the fabric.

2. In combination, a rectangular frame, the side members of which are formed of angle iron, said angle iron having an outer depending vertical flange and a horizontal inner flange, a fabric connected between the ends of said frame and having its upper surface substantially lying in the same plane as the plane of the horizontal flan e, and a helical having a hook at each en one of said hooks engaging the edge of the fabric adjacent the inner margin of the horizontal flange and the other hook engaging a portion of the vertical flange adjacent the angle of the said member, said vertical flange hav ing a pair of apertures therein, one for admitting the hook, and the other for receiving the end of said hook.

3. In combination, a rectangular frame constructed of angle iron throughout, each of the sides thereof having an outer depending vertical flange and an inner top horizontal flange, a link fabric having its ends connected to the ends of the frame, one of said connections including spring means permitting sag of the fabric under load, each edge of said fabric being adjacent the inner edge of one of the side angle irons, and side helicals having their inner ends hooked into the side edges of the fabric and having their other ends hooked over integral portions of the vertical flanges adjacent the angles of the side rails.

4. In a structure of the class described, the combination of a link fabric having a side strand, a rectangular frame resiliently supporting said fabric, whereby said fabric is permitted to sag under load, said frame embodying a side member of angle iron construction having a depending outer flange and an inner flange substantially lying in the same plane as the plane of the bed fabric, a transverse helical having a hook at its inner end directly engaging the edge strand of the fabric and having a hook at its outer end directly engaging the vertical flange of the angle iron, the said vertical flange having a slot formed therein through which the last named hook may be bodily inserted, and

having a perforation adjacent said slot for receiving the end of the hook.

5. In combination, a rectangular frame, the side members of which are formed of angle iron, said angle iron having an outer depending Vertical flange and a horizontal inner flange, a link fabric composed of a series of longitudinal chains parallel with the edges of the side rails and cross links connecting said chains transversely, said chains being resiliently connected between the ends of said frame and lying substantially in the same plane as the plane of the horizontal flange, and a series of helicals for connecting the border chain of said fabric resiliently-to each of the side rails, thereby permitting sag of the marginal portions of said fabric relative to said side rail When under load, each of said helicals having a substantial portion of its length normally underlying the horizontal flange of the side rail, and being provided at its ends With means connecting the helical respectively to the edge chain of the fabric and with the side rail close to the corner thereof.

' DON CARLOS TRAVIS. 

